Henry Killigrew (11 February 1613 – 14 March 1700) was an English clergyman and playwright. He became a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to Charles I, and chaplain and almoner to James, Duke of York (the future

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

). Following the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, he became Master of the Savoy.

Life

Killigrew was born in Hanworth on 11 February 1613, the fifth and youngest son of

Robert Killigrew Sir Robert Killigrew (1580–1633) was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1629. He served as Ambassador to the United Provinces. Life Killgrew was born at Lothbury, London, th ...

and his wife

Mary Woodhouse Mary Woodhouse (d. 1656), musician and correspondent of Constantijn Huygens, was the daughter of Henry Woodhouse (MP) of Hickling and Waxham, and Anne Bacon, daughter of Sir Nicholas Bacon. (Some sources say she was a daughter of the Woodhouse fa ...

. He was the brother of the dramatist Thomas Killigrew and of Elizabeth Killigrew, Viscountess Shannon, mistress of the future Charles II. He was educated at Cripplegate, London and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, graduating B.A. 1632, M.A. 1638,

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

1642. He served as a chaplain in Charles I's army during the English Civil War and was chaplain to James, Duke of York (the future

) during his time in exile. He was also appointed almoner to James, Duke of York. He served as a canon of Westminster Abbey in 1642 and from 1660 to his death and as rector of Wheathampstead. In 1663, Henry Killigrew was appointed Master of the Savoy. According to some writers the final ruin of the Savoy Hospital was due to Killigrew's "improvidence, greed, and other bad qualities". A bill was passed in 1697 abolishing its privileges of sanctuary. The hospital was leased out in tenements, and the master appropriated the profits; among the leases granted was one (1699) to Henry Killigrew, the patentee of

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

, for his lodgings in the Savoy, at a rent of 1 shilling per year for forty years. A commission appointed by

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

reported that the relief of the poor (the hospital's intended purpose) was being utterly neglected. In 1702, shortly after Killigrew's death, the hospital was dissolved. A juvenile play of his, ''The Conspiracy'', was printed surreptitiously in 1638, and in an authenticated version in 1653 as ''Pallantus and Eudora''.

Family

He married Judith and had four children: * Henry Killigrew (died 1712), an admiral * James Killigrew, also a naval officer, who was killed in an encounter with the French in January 1695 during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

* Anne Killigrew (1660-1685), poet and painter, who was maid of honour to the

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of ...

, and was the subject of an ode by Dryden, which

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

thought the noblest in the language * Elizabeth Killigrew (died 1701) married her father's curate at Wheathampstead, John Lambe, and produced 10 children

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Killigrew, Henry 1613 births 1700 deaths English dramatists and playwrights Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford English military chaplains Masters of the Savoy Henry English male dramatists and playwrights